Animated tooth brushing timer



Feb. 20, 1962 w. v. STONE ANIMATED TOOTH BRUSHTNG TIMER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 20, 1960 JNVENTOR. War/fer l( fo/7e y TORNES,

Feb. 20, 1962 w. v. sToNE ANIMATED TOOTH BRUSHlNG TIMER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 20, 1960 -IIIIZ I gg l A Y nite- States Pater 3,021,666 ANIMATED TOTH BRUSHING TIWIER Walter V. Stone, 1622 W. 28th Terrace, Topeka, Kans. Filed June 20, 1960, Ser. No. 37,284 11 Claims. (Cl. S8152) This invention relates to an animated tooth brushing timer, and more particularly to a device usable to induce a child to brush his teeth for a predetermined period of time, the primary object being to present to the child an amusing representation of a tooth brushing operation and serving as a guide for the length of time during which the tooth brushing operation should take place.

It is the most important object of the present invention to provide spring loaded mechanism operably connected with the representation of a hand and a toothbrush in proximity to a face whereby to present the act of brushing teeth when the mechanism is placed in operation through winding of the spring thereof. Another important object of the instant invention is to incorporate within the operating mechanism a novel escapement arrangement that includes an escape wheel and associated releasable apparatus for allowing intermittent rotation of the wheel and oscillation of a shaft mounted thereon upon which vthe toothbrush is mounted.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a relatively inexpensive arrangement that incorporates the use of a ratchet wheel and a pawl operably coupled to a spring loaded shaft for periodically rotating the animated parts when the spring is wound and the shaft is biased for rotation in one direction.

Yet another object of this invention is the provision of a mechanism for periodically shifting an elongated pendulum in a vertical arc, which mechanism utilizes a pair of operably coupled gears, one of which is spring-biased in one direction, and a pair of detents providing a means of alternately releasing and stopping the movement of said one gear in said one direction.

Other important objects of this invention are the provision of novel counterbalance weight means operably coupled to a ratchet wheel for permitting intermittent rotation of the wheel; the provision of a novel arrangement whereby the toothbrush engages the escapement mechanism; and the provision of means for holding the toothbrush in a lixed position relative to the mechanism when the timer is not in use.

In the drawings:

FIGURE l is a front elevational view of an animated tooth brushing timer made pursuant to one embodiment of my present invention, illustrating the animated representation thereon and showing the manner in which a toothbrush stem may be inserted within the timer;

fFIG. 2 is a cross-sectional, side elevational view there .o

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional, front elevational view thereof taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 2, illustrating the escapement and the relation of the lever means relative thereto prior and subsequent to the insertion of a toothbrush stem within the timer;

FIG. 4 is a rear elevational view of the timer of FIG. 3 removed from the case thereof;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of themechanism of FIG. 3 removed frorn the case thereof;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary, cross-sectional, side elevational view of the elongated shaft which is a part of the mechanism of FIG. 6, illustrating the relationship lof the coiled spring for powering the device to the shaft to which the spring is connected;

FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of an animated tooth brushing timer made pursuant to another embodiment of my present invention;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional, side elevational view thereof;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional, front elevational view taken along line 9-9 of FIG. 8; and

FIG. 10 is a rear elevational view of the timer of FIG. 8 removed from the case.

The embodiment of the animated tooth brushing timer which is shown in FIGS. 1 to 6 inclusive comprises a housing 1t), an animated representation 12 and an escapement mechanism 14.

Housing 10 is provided with a pair of sides 16, a top 13 and a bottom 20. Attached to bottom 20 are a pair of spaced feet 22 and a connective 23 spanning the distance between the feet 22 upon which housing 10 rests when it is in the operating position. A back 24 bridges the distance between the top and bottom and between the sides 16, and housing 10 is open in the front for the reasons hereinafter to be set forth. Housing 10 is provided with an opening 26 in top 18 through which the stem 28 of a toothbrush may be inserted for engagement with the escapement mechanism 14. Bottom 20 is provided with a slot 30, as is clear in FIG. 3, for clearing parts of the escapement mechanism 14.

Animated representation 12 is provided with a facial member 32 held stationary on a backing plate 34 having an aperture 36 therein. Hand member 38 also forms part of the animated representation 14 and is operably connected to escapement mechanism 14 through aperture 36 of backing plate 34. Backing plate 34 dimensionally conforms to the opening in housing 10, and, when inserted within housing 1i), abuts against head 40 of screw 42 and head 41 of screw 43 proximal to top 18 and against block 44 proximal to bottom 20, block 44 being an integral part of housing 1t). A transparent shield 46 of a resilient material, su' h as plastic, is provided with anges 48 therearound, and is inserted within the opening of housing 10. Shield 46 is held within housing 10 under the action of the resilient force causing anges 48 to bend inwardly when the latter are in engagement with the inner surfaces of housing it.

Escapement mechanism 14 is mounted on a support 50 which is disposed uprightly within housing 10 and held rigid thereto by means of screws 43 and 52, the latter being fixed to said housing by nuts 54 and 56, respectively. It is to be understood that support plate 50 is offset from the back 24 of housing 10 and from heads 40 and 41 of screws 42 and 43, respectively, as by means of nuts 45 and 47, as is clear in FIG. 5.

Escapement mechanism 14 is comprised of a rotatable shaft 58 journaled at one end 59 thereof in bearing 60 rigidly secured to support 50 and journaled at the opposite end 61 thereof in sleeve 62 rigidly secured to bracket 64. Collar 63 having an annular ange 65 surrounds shaft S8 and is secured thereto for a reason hereinafter to be described. Bracket 64 is a Z-shaped element having an elongated strip 66 which unites a pair of oppositely extending legs 68 and 70 as seen in FIG. 5. Sleeve 62 is secured to leg 68 as by welding, and leg 70 is rigidly secured to support S0 by means of screws 72 and nut '74. Rotatably mounted on end 59 of shaft 58 is a ratchet wheel 76 having a first ratchet means 78 on the periphery of the wheel and second ratchet means 80 on the marginal edge thereof and spaced inwardly from the tirst ratchet means. Wheel 76 is spaced from support Sil by means of a spacer 82 so that when wheel 76 rotates, the latter is prevented from engaging support 50 and thereby provide unencumbered operation thereof. First ratchet means 78 is provided with a plurality of spaced spur teeth 84 around the peripheral edge of wheel 76. Second ratchet means 80 is provided with a plurality of saw teeth 86 which extend outwardly from one face 88 of wheel 76 and are mutually perpendicular to spur teeth 84.

Inserted within shaft 58 is an elongated coil spring 90 xe'd at one end thereof to sleeve 62 through an opening 92 in the latter and at the other end thereof is rigidly secured to end 59 of shaft 58.

A pawl 94 of resilient material is rigidly secured to end 59 of shaft 58 and extends laterally therefrom to engage second ratchet means 80. Pawl 94, by virtue of its resiliency, is biased toward second ratchet means 80 and is provided with an end 96 which engages the upright portions 98 of saw teeth 86.

An upper detent 100 and a lower detent 102 are swingable about respective horizontal axes by virtue of being journaled in collars 104 and 106, respectively, the latter collars being rigidly secured to support 50 and vertically spaced thereon. Detents 100 and 102 are vertically spaced at substantially diametrically opposed positions relative to wheel 76 and are disposedto releasably engage spur teeth 84 of first ratchet means 78.

Rigidly attached to upper detent 100 is an elongated stretch 108 having a mass 110 attached thereto at the lower end thereof. Stretch 108 is adapted to swing pendulum-fashion in a vertical arc under the action of gravity to rotate upper detent 100 about the axis of the latter and thereby force detent 100 into and out of engagement with corresponding spur teeth 84.

A U-shaped element 112 having a bight 113 and a pair vof oppositely extending arms 117 is rigidly secured at one of arms 117 to lower detent 102 and swingable therewith about the axis of the latter. Element 112 extends upwardly so that bight 113 thereof is proximal to shaft 58. Stretch 108 slidably engages bight 113 and forces element 112 to swing therewith and to swing detent 102 into engagement with corresponding spur teeth 84 when stretch 108 swings to one end of its path of travel. As stretch 108 swings to the other end of its path of travel, element 112 swings back toward its normal or equilibrium position. However, element 112 slightly overshoots the equilibrium position thereof, and, in doing so, allows detent 102 to be disengaged from the corresponding spur tooth 84. Therefore, when upper detent 100 is brought into engagement with a corresponding spur tooth 84 as stretch 108 swings to one end of its path of travel, lower detent 102 is moved out of engagement with a corresponding spur tooth 84 by virtue of being coupled with element 112. Disengagement of lower detent l102 with the corresponding spur tooth 84 allows wheel 76 to rotate in a direction to unwind spring 90. However, the simultaneous engagement of upper detent 100 with the corresponding spur tooth 84 impedes rotation of wheel 76 and restricts the latter to rotating in an arc equal to the distance between adjacent teeth. When stretch 108 swings to the opposite end of its path of travel, the process above reverses and lower detent 102 engages a succeeding spur tooth 84 as upper detent 100 is disengaged from the corresponding spur tooth 84 to allow rotation of wheel 76 in an arc equal to the distance between adjacent spur teeth 84. Thus, wheel 76 advances in a series of periodic steps, as stretch 108 and element 112 continue to swing.

Hand member 38 is fixed to the other end 117 of element 112, so that as the latter swings about the axis of lower detent 102, hand member 38 oscillates about an axis coextensive with the axis of lower detent 102 and produces the desired effect of simulating the action of brushing of teeth with the attached animated tooth brush shown in FIG. l.

An elongated lever 114 is swingably mounted on support 50 and is journaled in a sleeve 116 rigidly secured to support 50 along one marginal edge thereof, as best seen in FIG. 4. Lever means 114 is bent slightly intermediate the ends thereof to present a stretch 115 engageable with the underside of bracket 64 when lever means is at one end of its path of travel. Lever means 114 is provided with a cup-shaped component 118 mounted on CAD its opposite end for a purpose hereinafter to be described. Lever means 114 is operably coupled to shaft 58 by means of a exible chain 120 which is secured at one end thereof to the lever means proximal to component 118 and at the other end to flange 65 of collar 63. Chain 120 is in wrapped engagement with shaft 58 so that when lever 114 is swung to one end of its path of travel chain 120 unwraps from shaft S8 and thereby rotates the latter in one direction. As shaft S8 rotates in the opposite direction under the action of spring 90, chain 120 wraps around shaft 58 and lever means 114 swings to the other end of its path of travel. Chain 120 passes over a cylindrical tube 122 mounted on screw 42 so that when lever means 114 swings downwardly, chain 120 slidably engages tube 122.

A resilient clip 124 is secured to one marginal edge of support 50 by means of screws 126. Clip 124 is provided with a convex surface 128 which extends outwardly from support 50 into the space between the latter and housing 10.

Before escapement mechanism 14 is made operable and before spring is wound, lever means 114 is disposed at one end of its path of travel as seen in FIG. 4. When toothbrush stem 28 is inserted within opening 26 in top 18 of housing 10 and forced within housing 10, the same engages cup-shaped component 118 to force lever means 114 to the other end of its path of travel, said lever means being shown at the other end of its path of travel in dash lines as is clear in FIG. 3. Stem 28 is then in engagement with the convex surface 128 of clip 124, the latter holding stern 28 within the housing by virtue of yieldably biasing stem 28 laterally.

When lever means 114 is forced downwardly by stem 28, chain 120 is unwrapped from shaft 58 and the latter is rotated in a counterclockwise sense as viewed in FIG. 3. Rotation of shaft 58 winds spring 90 tending to cause the shaft to rotate in the opposite direction and also rotates pawl 94 which slidably engages second ratch et means 80. End 96 of pawl 94 is in engagement with the upright portion 98 of one of saw teeth 86 when lever means 114 reaches one end of its path of travel. Shaft 58 is prevented from rotating in a clockwise sense, as shown in FIG. 3, to thereby unwind the spring, by virtue of the fact that stem 28 is held in engagement against cup-shaped component 118 on lever means 114 by clip 124. Tension is maintained o-n chain 120, preventing shaft 58 from rotating to unwind spring 90. Removal of stern 28 from engagement with cup-shaped component 118 allows shaft 58 to rotate in a clockwise sense, as viewed in FIG. 3, due to the restoring force of the spring 90. Since pawl 94 is rigidly secured to shaft 58, ratchet wheel 76 is forced into rotation in the same direction as shaft 58 by virtue of end 96 of pawl 94 engaging the upright portion 98 of one of saw teeth 86. The tendency of spring 90 to unwind causes a rotation of wheel 76 in a clockwise sense and forces the upper detent to disengage from the corresponding tooth on first ratchet means 78 to swing stretch 108 to one end of its path of travel. Element 112 is then swung so as to rotate lower detent 102 into engagement with the corresponding tooth on first ratchet means 78, whereupon stretch 108 swings to the opposite end of its path of travel and the detents reverse rotative direction so that the upper detent engages the next spur tooth 84 while lower detent 102 is disengaged from a corresponding spur tooth 84 by virtue of element 112 swinging back to its normally upright position. Wheel 76 advances a distance equal to the distance betwen adjacent spur teeth 84 when detents and 102 alternately engage and disengage teeth 84. Stretch 108 will continue to swing about the axis of the upper detent to maintain the rotative motion of wheel 76 until chain 120 is wrapped around shaft 58 and stretch engages bracket 64 to prevent further rotation of shaft 58 due to the tension on spring 120. Thereupon, stretch 108 and hand member 38 wll'cease oscillating and cup-'shaped component 118 will then be disposed proximal to opening 28 as shown in FIG. 3, in a position to receive stem 28 when the latter is again inserted within opening 26.

The time from the removal of stem 28 from engagement with component 118 until stretch 115 engages bracket 64 corresponds to a desired brushing time, and the fact that member 38 ceases to oscillate serves to indicate to the user of the brush that the brushing time has elapsed.

It is to be noted that the mechanism is self-starting upon the removal of stern 28 from engagement with cup-shaped component 118 and that lever means 114 need not be forced to the opposite end of its path of travel to actuate mechanism 14. lt is only necessary that lever means il@ be displaced to a point intermediate the ends of its path of travel in order to cause the mechanism to be operable.

The disclosure shown in FIGS. 7 to lO inclusive is the preferred embodiment of the instant invention and comprises a housing 2li), an animated representation 212 and an escapement mechanism 214.

Housing 2153 is provided with a pair of sides 216, a top 218 and a bottom 220. Attached to bottom 220 are a pair of spaced feet 222 and a connective 223 spanning the distance between feet 222. A back 224 bridges the distance between top 21S and bottom 220 and between sides 216, and housing 219 is open at the front thereof. Housing 210 is provided with an opening 226 in top 218 through which the stern 223 of a toothbrush may be inserted for engagement with escapement mechanism 214.

Animated 'representation 212 is provided with a facial member 232 held stationary on a backing plate 234, the latter having an aperture 236 therein which takes the form of a curved slot, as is clear in FIG. 7. Hand member 238 also forms part of animated representation 2id and is operably connected to escapement mechanism 2id through aperture 236 in a manner hereinafter described. Backing plate 234 dimensionally conforms to the opening in housing 210 and, when inserted within housing 2li), abuts against bosses 24h integral with top 228 and bottom 220,'respectively. A transparent shield 246 of a resilient material, such as plastic, is provided with flanges 24S therearound and is inserted within the opening in the front of housing 210. The innermost edges of flanges 243 abut against backing plate 234 and shield 246 is firmly held within the opening in the front of housing 21) by virtue of tabs 249 received in recesses 251, it being noted that tabs 249 are held in recesses 251 due to the resilient nature of shield 246.

Escapement mechanism 214 is mounted on a support y 259 which is disposed uprightly within housing 21@ and held rigid thereto `by means of screws 252 passing through apertures 254 in support 2S@ and received in threaded bosses 256 integral with housing 210. By virtue of this construction, support 250 is offset from back 224, as is clear in FlG. 8.

Escapernent mechanism 214 is comprised of a rotatable shaft 25S having ends 260 and 262 journaled in bearings 264 and'266, respectively, rigidly mounted to support 256* by suitable means. Bearing 266 is provided with a vertical slot 268 in which end 262 of shaft 258 is received and end 262 is held therein by means of a spring clip 276 embedded in a block 272 rigidly secured to the front face 274 of support 25h. An elongated coil spring 276 is disposed over shaft 258 and is provided with ends 278 and 280 received in apertures (not shown) in bearing 264 and annulus 282 rigid to shaft 25S intermediate the ends of the latter. A sleeve 284 is rigidly secured to shaft 258 proximal to end 262 thereof and'rings 286 are disposed at each end of sleeve 284 and rigid to shaft 258 for a purpose hereinafter described. A spacer 288 is disposed Vthe outer peripheral edge thereof is rigidly secured to shaft 258 between the other of rings 286 and annulus 282. It is apparent, therefore, that when shaft 258 rotates in one direction, sleeve 284 and gear 290 rotate therewith and spring 276 is thereby wound by virtue of being secured at end 280 thereof to annulus 282. The winding of spring 276 eifectively biases shaft 25S to rotate in a direction opposite to that in which it is manually rotated.

A second gear 294 is rigidly secured to a sleeve 296, the latter being rotatable on a shaft 298 held firmly in place by bracket 300 suitably mounted on front face 274 of support 250. Shaft 298 is disposed in a manner such that second gear 294' is effectively in mesh with rst gear 29h, as is clear in FIG. 9. Also rigidly secured to sleeve 296 adjacent one end of second gear 294 is ratchet wheel 302 having spaced teeth 304 thereon. An L-snaped crank 366 having stretches 308 and 310 is rotatably mounted on shaft 298 by virtue of stretch 368 being received in aperture 312 disposed between wheel 332 and bracket 360, as is clear in FIG. 9. Rigidly mounted on stretch 368 are a pair of spaced detents 314 and 315 which are engageable with teeth 334 of wheel 362 at diametrically opposed points on wheel 3h22. Detente 3112 and 315 are disposed along stretch 3433 in a manner such that, when detent 314 is in engagement with teeth 364, detent 325 is out of engagement with the latter, and when detent 315 is in engagement with teeth '38d detent 314 is out of engagement with the latter. A mass 316 of lead or the like is rigidly secured to the lowermost end of stretch 31) and an extension 317 is rigid to stretch 32h intermediate the ends of the latter extending laterally outward therefrom, passing through aperture 236 of backing plate 234. lt is clear that stretch 310 acts as a pendulum oscillating about an axis through stretch 3% when stretch 31d is deflected through a small vertical angle and subsequently released to swing freely. Extension 3j sweeps out a vertical arc as stretch .3th oscillates and the same is operably coupled to hand member 233 oy virtue of being received in a hollow projection 239 integral with the latter. Extension 337 is rigidly secured to projection 239 so that as stretch 3.13 oscillates, hand member 23S sweeps out a small vertical angle and thereby gives the appearance of a simulated brushing of the teeth of the animated representation 212.

Means for winding spring 276 comprises an elongated chain 32h and an elongated lever 322, the latter provided with a cup-shaped component 324i adapted to receive the handle end of toothbrush 22h. Chain 32d is provided with one'end 326 rigidly received Within an aperture in one of rings 286 and chain 32d is in wrapped engagement with sleeve 234, as is clear in FIG. 9. A portion of chain 32) passes upwardly from sleeve 234 over a cylinder 32S rotatably mounted on brackets 330, and subsequently passes through an opening 332 in support 250 and over a pair of rotatable tubes 334 and 336 prior to being connected at end 333 thereof at a point on lever 322 proximal to component 324. Lever 322 is rotatably mounted on the rear face 3deof support 25h by virute of being received in sleeve 342 rigid to support 250. Lever 322 is capable of sweeping out a horizontal angle about an axis through sleeve 342.

A resilient clip 344 is escured to one marginal edge of support 250 by means of screws 346. Clip 344 is provided with a convex surface 3dS which extends outwardly from support 2551) into the space between the latter and housing 21).

Tube 334 is rotatably mounted on a shaft 359, the lattei being verticaliv mounted on a pair of spaced brackets 352 supported on face 34) of support 25d by suitable means, as by welding. rlube 336 is rotatably mounted on screw 243, the latter extending outwardly from face 346 and having a flanged end 354 of a diameter greater than the inside diameter of tube 336 to retain tube 33d thereon.

Prior to the actuation of the timer shown in FIGS. 7 to l0 inclusive, lever 322 .is in the position shown in FIGS. 9 and l0 with component 324 proximal to top 218 and adjacent opening 226 in the latter. it is noted that chain 32) is in wrapped engagement relative to sleeve 254 and spring 275 is in a state of equilibrium. When the stem 228 of a toothbrush is inserted within opening 22o the end thereof engages component 32d, and when stem 22S is forced within housing 2l@ component 324 and lever 322 are forced downwardly to the dotted line position shown in FIG. 9. This action causes chain 320 to follow the movement of lever 322 and to rotate shaft 258 to thereby wind spring 276 in a counterclockwise direction as viewed from FIG. 8. lt is noted that when lever 322 beings to move downwardly the tension on chain 321i) in the region proximal to cylinder 323 raises end 262 of shaft 258 slightly to move rst gear 29d out of substantial mesh with second gear 294 to permit the rotation of shaft 258. As soon as the tension on chain 32h is slightly reduced, first gear Zitti again moves into substantial mesh with second gear 294 to thereby render the latter capable of rotation responsive to the unwinding of spring 276.

When the stern 22;? is completely inserted within housing 2li) the same engages surface 34S ot clip 344 to force the latter inwardly toward support 25d, and stem 2228 is held within housing 2id by virtue of the resilience or" clip 344. In this position 'the tension on chain 329 maintains r'irst gear 2% out of substantial mesh with second gear 294. The timer is set in motion by removing stem 22S from housing 2li), whereupon the tension on chain 324) is somewhat reduced so as to permit first gear 29d to mesh with second gear 2%. Thereupon spring 276 begins to unwind in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 8, and iirst gear 291i begins to rotate in the same direction7 forcing second gear 294 to rotate in the opposite direction or in a countercloclrwise direction. Second gear 294 rotates until one of teeth 36d engages detent 315 to force said detent upwardly and to move stretch 319 to the left as viewed in FlG. 9. In this positionll; detent 3115 moves to a substantially vertical position to permit the tooth to move out of engagement therewith and detent Sid moves to a substantially horizontal position into the path of a proximal tooth on wheel 392. The tooth proximal to detent Sie thereupon engages the latter and forces the same downwardly to a substantially vertical position while stretch 310 oscillates to the opposite end of its path of travel, or to the right, as viewed in FIG. 9. As stretch Slt) moves to the opposite end of its path of travel, detent 315 moves once again into the path of the next approaching tooth on wheel 302 and engages the latter to restrict the rotation of wheel 392 until stretch 319 again begins to move to the left. The action of alternately engaging and disengaging proximal teeth by detents 314 and 3ll5 continues until spring 276 is completely unwound and compartment 324 is once again at the uppermost end of its path of travel. During this time stretch 3MB oscillates back and forth in pendulum fashion, carrying with it hand member 2.38, the latter moving in a manner to simulate the brushing of the teeth of the animation on plate 234. When lever 322 reaches its upper end proximal to top 21S stretch Siti ceases to oscillate and all parts come to rest with chain 32o once again in wrapped engagement with respect to 4 sleeve 284.

To limit the travel of clip 27@ as shaft 256 moves in slot 26S of bearing 266 responsive to the tension on chain 320, a pair of vertically spaced projections 356 are disposed on one face of bearing 256 to engage clip 2.76 and thereby restrict the upward and downward movement thereof.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

l. In a toy, a housing having an opening therein; animated display means exterior to the housing and including a movable member separate from the housingand a stationary member secured to the housing to present a visual representation thereon; a support within said housing; power mechanism carried within the housing, said mechanism including escapement means mounted on said support, said escapernent means comprising an elongated, rotatable shaft, a winding spring operably coupled with the shaft and adapted, when wound in one direction, to rotate the latter in the opposite direction, a ratchet wheel operabiy coupled to the shaft and having a ratchet means on the periphery thereof,l detent means carried by the support and operably coupled with the ratchet means, and counterbalance weight means operably coupled with the detent means for alternately releasing the same from corresponding ratchet means to thereby rotate the wheel under the influence of rotation of the shaft by the spring, said movable member being secured to said weight means for movement therewith, lever means operably coupled with said shaft and mounted within the housing for movement toward or away from said opening between a pair of limits, said spring being wound in said one direction when said lever means is moved toward one of said limits to thereby bias the lever means toward said opening and the other of said limits, said lever means adapted to be engaged by one end of an elongated, removable article and movable thereby toward said one limit when the article is inserted within the housing through the opening thereof; and resilient means within the housing for yieldably holding the article in a fixed position when the latter engages said lever means to thereby prevent the operation of the mechanism except when the lever means is freed for movement toward the opening and said other limit by removal of said article from engagement therewith.

2. The invention of claim l and including exible means operably coupling the lever means to said shaft for rotating the latter in a direction to wind the spring when the lever is moved toward one of said limits by said article.

3. The invention of claim 2, wherein said flexible means is in wrapped engagement with said shaft when said spring is unwound and is unwrapped therefrom when said spring is wound.

4. The invention of claim l, wherein said shaft is rotatable about a horizontal axis and said spring is concentric with said shaft.

5. rthe invention of claim l, wherein said weight means includes an elongated stretch mounted on said support and swingable at one end thereof about a horizontal axis; and a mass secured to said stretch at the other end thereof to increase the rotational inertia thereof; and said detent means includes a U-shaped element having a bight and a pair of opposed ends, said element being rotatably mounted at one extremity thereof on said support and in sliding engagement at the bight thereof with said stretch.

6. The invention of claim 5, wherein said detent means includes a pair of vertically spaced detents eugageable with said ratchet means at diametrically opposed points on said ratchet wheel, one of said detents being secured to said stretch at said one end of the latter and rotatable therewith, the other of said detents being secured to said one extremity of said element and rotatable therewith.

7. The invention of claim 5, wherein said movable member is secured to the other extremity of said element and is rotatable therewith.

8. The invention of claim l, wherein said ratchet wheel is provided with first ratchet means on the periphery thereof and second ratchet means thereon extending outwardly from the plane of said wheel, and a pawl rigidly secured to said shaft and extending laterally therefrom, said pawl engaging said second ratchet means to be movable relative thereto when said spring is wound and immovable relative thereto when said spring is unwound to thereby rotate the wheel in said opposite direction.

9. The invention of claim.- l and including a rst gear Q rigidly secured to said shaft and a second gear rigidly secured to said ratchet wheel, said rst gear being movable into engagement with said lsecond gear when said shaft rotates to unwind said spring and movable out of engagement with said second gear when said shaft is rotated to Wind said spring.

10. The invention of claim 1, wherein said detent means includes a rst stretch mounted on said support and rotatable thereon about a horizontal axis; and a detent rigidly secured to said rst stretch at each end of the latter, said detents engageable with said ratchet means on said wheel at diametrically opposed points on the latter responsive to the rotation of said first stretch.

11. The invention of claim 10, wherein said Weight means includes a lsecond `stretch integral at one end thereof with said first stretch and extending laterally from the latter; and a mass secured to said second stretch at the other end of the latter to increase the rotational inertia of the same, said movable member being secured to said second stretch and rotatable therewith.

References Cited in the file ofk this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,185,805 Feiner Ian. 2, 1940 2,609,045 Kaiser Sept. 2, 1952 2,926,487 Stone Mar. 1, 1960 

